Isis Picture

Isis is a goddess in Egyptian mythology. She is the wife and sister of Osiris and the mother of Horus. Isis was worshipped as the archetypal wife and mother.

Her name literally means "she of throne", that is, "Queen of the throne", which was portrayed by the emblem worn on her head, that of a throne. However, the hieroglyph of her name originally meant "she of flesh", i.e. mortal, and she may simply have represented deified, historical queens. She also is known as being the goddess of magic and healing. Ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded every year because of her tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris. He was killed by her other evil brother, Set, god of chaos and destruction. Set sliced Osiris into bits and flung them into the Nile River, letting the animals eat the remains of his body. However, all the pieces survived, except for one of them.